Tag: Delimitation Commission

  • Delimitation commission to meet election officers and political leaders during Jammu and Kashmir visit next week

    Express News Service
    SRI NAGAR: The Delimitation Commission, which would be arriving on a four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir from July 6-9, would interact with District Election Officers (DEOs) of all 20 districts of and leaders of political parties.The Commission headed by Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai, which has been tasked with redrawing Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in J&K, would meet DEOs in Pahalgam and Srinagar in Kashmir and Kishtwar and Jammu in Jammu.

    The Commission would seek data on voters’ lists. Topography and other compositions of districts and Assembly constituencies would also be sought. Sources said J&K’s Chief Electoral Officer has invited political parties to interact with the Commission in Srinagar. Parties invited include National Conference, Peoples Democratic Party, Apni Party, CPI-M, Peoples Conference, Congress, JKANC, JKNPP and BJP. It is likely that representatives of all parties would attend the meeting.The NC, which has boycotted Delimitation Commission proceedings and PDP, which has been very vocal on Article 370 revocation, are also expected to attend the meetings.

    It would be the Commission’s first visit to J&K after it was formed in March last year to carve out more Assembly and Parliamentary constituencies in J&K after the scrapping of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two UTs. Its one-year-term was extended this March. The delimitation exercise is carried out as per 2011 Census, in which Kashmir’s population was 68,88,475 and Jammu’s 53,78,538.

    At present, the Assembly has 83 seats — 47 in Kashmir and 36 in Jammu. Once the delimitation exercise is completed, Assembly seats in J&K will increase to 90. After the June 24 all party meeting in New Delhi, the Centre unveiled a roadmap  of “Delimitation, election and statehood”.

  • Delimitation commission to meet political parties separately during Jammu and Kashmir visit next week

    By PTI
    SRINAGAR: Taking forward the initiative of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the delimitation commission has invited leaders of all national, regional and registered political parties of Jammu and Kashmir for separate meetings during its visit to the Union Territory next week, officials said here on Friday.

    The commission led by Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra may also hold separate meetings with civil society groups and similar organisations after they obtain prior approval and time slots through their respective deputy commissioners (DCs).

    The commission will undertake a four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir from July 6-9 and will interact with leaders of political parties and officials to gather “first-hand” inputs on the conduct of the mega exercise to carve out new constituencies there.

    The prime minister, during the June 24 meeting with 14 leaders from Jammu and Kashmir, had said the ongoing delimitation exercise has to happen quickly so that polls can be held to install an elected government that gives strength to its development trajectory.

    In a series of tweets after a three-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with the leaders that included four former chief ministers, the prime minister said, “Our priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy in JK.

    Delimitation has to happen at a quick pace so that polls can happen and JK gets an elected government that gives strength to JK’s development trajectory.

    ” The delimitation, therefore, has attained an urgency amid indications that the Centre is keen to hold early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir.

    There is speculation that the polls could be held in the next six to nine months.

    Officials said the commission, during its visit next week, has asked the chief electoral officer of the state to ensure that representatives of each registered, national and regional political party is provided a separate time slot so that separate discussions can be held with each one of them.

    The commission will be interacting with the political parties and their leaders in Srinagar on July 6 and those in Jammu on July 8.

    The three-member commission, with the JK CEO being the third member, will also have separate interactions with the DCs, they said.

    A statement from the delimitation commission had earlier said that during the visit, it will interact with political parties, public representatives and Union Territory administration officials including district election officers/deputy commissioners of 20 districts to gather first-hand information and inputs concerning the ongoing process of delimitation as mandated under the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

    It had said that the commission expected that all stakeholders will “cooperate” in this endeavour and provide valuable suggestions so that the task of delimitation is completed timely.

    Once the delimitation exercise is completed, the number of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir will go up from 83 to 90.

    Twenty-four seats of the Assembly continue to remain vacant as they fall under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

  • Delimitation commission to visit Jammu and Kashmir between July 6-9

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The delimitation commission will undertake a four-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir from July 6-9 and interact with political parties, their leaders and officials of the Union Territory to gather “first hand” inputs on the conduct of the mega exercise to carve out new constituencies there, the EC said on Wednesday.

    The decision was taken after a meeting was held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the poll panel here that was chaired by delimitation commission chairperson Justice (retd) Ranjana Prakash Desai and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra.

    “During the visit period, the commission will interact with political parties, public representatives and Union Territory administration officials including district election officers/deputy commissioners of 20 districts of the UT to gather first hand information and input concerning the ongoing process of delimitation as mandated under the Jammu & Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019,” an Election Commission (EC) spokesperson said in a statement issued here.

    The spokesperson said that the commission expected that all stakeholders will “cooperate” in this endeavour and provide valuable suggestions so that the task of delimitation is completed timely. The spokesperson added that the delimitation commission already has had a series of meetings related to data/map of the districts/constituencies related to census 2011.

    “Earlier, it invited all associate members for interaction, which were participated by two of the associate members. A number of representations have also been received on various aspects concerning delimitation from civil societies and members of the public from the UT,” the spokesperson said.

    The delimitation commission has already taken note of all such suggestions and directed that these may be deliberated further in the context of ground realities concerning delimitation, the spokesperson said. The commission, constituted in March last year with a one year time frame to complete its task, is entrusted with redrawing the parliamentary and assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir.

    It was given its first extension of one year by the Union government in March this year in view of the Covid pandemic.

    The visit of the delimitation commission comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with leaders of mainstream political parties from Jammu and Kashmir last week where he stressed that the delimitation exercise has to happen quickly so that polls can be held in the UT.

    During the visit, the members of the delimitation commission will hold talks with various political parties, their representatives and also the five associate members who are the five Lok Sabha MPs from the UT.

    Of the mainstream parties, the National Conference, which has won all the three Lok Sabha seats from the Kashmir Valley, had earlier decided to stay away from the proceedings of the commission contending there was no need to redraw the constituencies at this stage.

    However, there are indications that the party is having a rethink and has recently authorised its president Farooq Abdullah to decide whether to participate in the deliberations of the commission.

    The prime minister, during the June 24 meeting, had said the ongoing delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir has to happen quickly so that polls can be held to install an elected government that gives strength to its development trajectory.

    In a series of tweets after a three-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with 14 political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir, the prime minister said, “Our priority is to strengthen grassroots democracy in J&K. Delimitation has to happen at a quick pace so that polls can happen and J&K gets an elected government that gives strength to J&K’s development trajectory.”

    The delimitation exercise has attained an urgency amid indications that the Centre is keen to hold early assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. There is speculation that the polls could be held in the next six to nine months.

    During Wednesday’s meeting, the delimitation commission is understood to have reviewed the progress made so far, including the consultations held by it last week with all deputy commissioners of Jammu and Kashmir on restructuring of the existing assembly constituencies and carving out seven new seats early this month.

    At the meeting with the deputy commissioners on June 23, inputs were gathered on how to make the assembly seats more geographically compact. Once the delimitation exercise is completed, the number of assembly seats in Jammu and Kashmir will go up from 83 to 90.

    Twenty-four seats of the Assembly continue to remain vacant as they fall under Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

  • Seven Assembly seats to be added in Jammu & Kashmir: Apni Party leader Ghulam Hassan Mir

    Express News Service
    SRI NAGAR: As Delimitation Commission started the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir, a senior Apni Party leader said of the seven seats that will be added in the UT, four will be in the Valley and three in Jammu. 

    Sources said that the Delimitation Commission has written to all 20 Deputy Commissioners of J&K and asked them to share data of electorate and composition of districts and Assembly constituencies.

    The exercise is being carried out as per 2011 Census.  According to 2011 census, Kashmir’s population was 68,88,475 and Jammu’s population was 53,78,538. At present J&K Assembly has 83 seats – 47 in Kashmir and 36 in Jammu region.

    Senior vice-president of Apni Party Ghulam Hassan Mir said the total number of seats in the  Assembly would increase from 83 to 90. Of the seven seats that will increase after delimitation, four will be in Valley and three in Jammu, he said.

    A senior J&K BJP leader said there should be a “balanced” process. “It should be ensured that all constituencies get equitable number of voters. At present, in some seats there are a few thousand voters, while in my constituency in Jammu, the voters are over one lakh,” he said.

    However, chairman of Jammu-based IkkJutt Jammu, Advocate Ankur Sharma said carrying out delimitation on basis of 2011 census will only consolidate “Muslim hegemony” and perpetuate J&K as a Muslim domain apart from rest of India.

  • Extension for delimitation panel: J&K parties fear poll delay in Valley

    Express News Service
    SRINAGAR:  With the Central government extending the term of the Delimitation Commission formed to redraw Parliamentary and Assembly constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir by one year, political parties are apprehensive that this will lead to further delay in Assembly elections.

    Strength of the J&K Assembly is likely to increase by seven seats after the delimitation exercise. The House presently has 83 seats (46 in Kashmir and 37 in Jammu).

    The Assembly was dissolved in June, 2018. Since its special status was scrapped in August, 2019, and bifurcation of the region in two Union Territories, J&K is under direct Central rule.

    “It seems the government does not want to hold J&K Assembly elections anytime soon. The Delimitation Commission remained stationed in Delhi and when its term was about to expire, it visited J&K and sought more time,” J&K Congress spokesman Ravindra Sharma said.

    Senior vice-president of Apni Party, Ghulam Hassan Mir, said the election process will start after the Delimitation Commission completes its work.

    “People want an end to bureaucratic rule and want an elected government. A longer Governor rule cannot be a replacement for an elected government”.

    Senior BJP leader and J&K Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta said: “The  Commission has got an extension. It doesn’t mean elections cannot be held this year.”

    Mirwaiz set free, to address Friday prayers

    J&K authorities on Thursday lifted restrictions on the movement of moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was under house arrest from August 2019.

    He is all set to address a first Friday congregational prayer since then at Jamia Masjid in Srinagar.

  • Fair, free elections will be held in J&K after completion of delimitation process: LG Manoj Sinha

    By ANI
    JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday assured that after the Delimitation Commission completes its work, elections will be conducted in a free and fair manner in the region.

    “The delimitation process is on. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have assured the country that after the delimitation process is completed, the assembly elections will be held. After the Delimitation Commission finishes its work, I assure, elections will be conducted in a fair and free manner,” Sinha said.

    The delegation of foreign envoys visiting Jammu and Kashmir met Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at Raj Bhavan in Jammu on Tuesday.

    The Delimitation Commission comprising of Chairperson Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, Ex-Officio Member Sushil Chandra (Election Commissioner) and ex-officio member, KK Sharma (State Election Commissioner, J-K) held a meeting today in New Delhi with the Associate members from J-K, for seeking their suggestion/views on the process of delimitation with respect to the union territory.

    An overview of the process of delimitation based on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Act, 2019 and Delimitation Act, 2002 was presented before the members detailing various Sections of these Acts related to the delimitation exercise of Jammu and Kashmir.

    “The two Associate Members appreciated Commission’s efforts and suggested that delimitation of constituencies shall be as far as practicable, be for geographically compact areas and while delimiting them regard shall be given to physical features; existing boundaries of administrative units; facilities of communication and public convenience,” read the press release by Election Commission today.

    They also suggested giving special attention to the difficult terrains while carrying out the delimitation exercise in Jammu and Kashmir.

    On August 15, 2020, PM Modi said that the ‘delimitation process’ is underway in Jammu and Kashmir and added that polls will be conducted soon in the Union Territory soon.